We’ll Know If He Deserved It By December

Like much of the rest of the world, President Obama this morning declared himself “surprised” that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize, for which he had been nominated on February 1, after just a few weeks in office.

The Nobel Peace Prize has tempted and eluded many other American presidents, including President Clinton, whose final year in office was frantically focused on a Nobel wining bid for Middle East peace. And yet, President Obama was chosen out of nearly three hundred other nominees on the basis of expectations, hope, not accomplishments.

In his acceptance speech, the president also declared himself “humbled,” an appropriate sentiment on this occasion, if not one often associated with the 44th president. “To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize,” Obama said in brief remarks at the White House. “I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.”

The president’s remarks suggested again the specific kind of leadership he has in mind, focused on climate change, nuclear disarmament, and multilateralism, in other words, a classic liberal agenda. Remarks from the Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee members indicate that this was precisely the agenda they hoped to further with the award this year.

But the kind of humility exhibited by President Obama on this occasion has a distinct flavor. Going back to his speech in Berlin as a presidential candidate, in which he addressed “citizens of the world,” the president by now has a well-established record in his international orations of conjuring up a global following for his ideas, making him in a sense spokesman for all people everywhere. “All nations must take responsibility for the world we seek,” the president said. “We cannot tolerate a world in which nuclear weapons spread to more nations. … We cannot accept the growing threat posed by climate change, which could forever danger the world we pass on to our children. … We cannot allow the differences between people to allow the way we see one another. … This award is not simply about the efforts of my administration, it’s about the courageous efforts of people around the world,” he said.

The really interesting questions will be, of course, whether the Nobel Peace Prize will change President Obama’s style of diplomacy and indeed whether it will make other nations more inclined to follow where he wants to lead. So far the president’s international superstardom has not translated into cooperation or achievements that can be quantified, whether it be support from European leaders in Afghanistan, the Chicago bid for the 2016 Olympics or indeed for his ideas on climate change which were coolly received at the General Assembly of the United Nations in September. By the time, President Obama receives the award in December, we will know.

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Helle C. Dale is the Heritage Foundation's senior fellow in public diplomacy. Her work focuses on the U.S. government’s institutions and programs for strategic outreach to the public of foreign countries, as well as more traditional diplomacy. Read her research.

Two weeks? The time fact alone renders the award moot. Nobel Piece prize for being in office for fourteen days. Any reasonable person has to think this is silly. For me this makes the prestige of the award on par with an award given to Hollywood Star subjectively based on popularity and good looks. There is no merit now linked with the Nobel Piece prize it is now no better or worse then an Emmy given to Teri Hatcher or Ted Danson. The president displayed his niave understanding of geopolitics by exhibiting glee with accepting the award knowinig full well he did nothing. He looks silly and vain and easily manipulated. He took the bait of the Europeans, who have swayed his loyalty away from the American people. He quickly tossed, the United States Armed forces, the American people under the bus for the accolades of the European liberal community. This decesion, this bait and switch was an tell, they now know he can be swayed easily by his vanity and will bend to their will. That being said as a retired Army soldier I hope for peace, however know what a dirty nasty business it is, I know what we do abroad( I spent 38 months deployed). There is a ton of hatred for Americans no doubt, but when you see the results:kovoso for example the youngest independant country on earth and know we the USA we directly involved in the process. You feel good, and cudos to President Clinton and Bush for sticking out their necks against the wishes of the liberal Europeans. Ask the Kosovo people who live free if they hate George Bush or Bill Clinton and if they would have rather had Obama's leave them alone policy back in the nineties? I bet you my pension they would not flinch, Clinton! Bush Great! We love the USA! I heard that over and over when I drove back to Camp Able Sentry leaving Kosovo in 2001 and 2002.

i just hope that whatever the reason he recieved the coveted peace prize that he lives up to the noteriety of the established prize… and though he hasent done anything as of yet to truelly deserve the prize i hope that he does something worthy of the prize now or at least by december…any number of things will due…I.E. live up to your platform…what you said you would do during your running campaign…that would go a long way toward showing all of us that the people in charge of the nominating a recipient of the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE didn't make a enormous mistake and fill your head with the " you love me, you realy love me" philosophy.

What kind of an outfit is this Nobel committee? What is their criteria for awarding prizes? What has BHO achieved to get the peace prize? He’s the antithesis of Reagan and Bush, who liberated 100s of millions of people worldwide. BHO doesn’t appreciate the USA. He badmouths and apologizes for us worldwide. According to Rushlimbaugh.com (10/9/09), BHO is also getting the Nobel economic prize. What for? Maybe for lying? I.e., lying about millions of jobs saved or created by a fake $787 billion stimulus/porkulus bill, when in reality millions of jobs have been lost since BHO took office. What a joke!! BHO’s done more economic damage to this country in 8 months than any past president in 4 or 8 years!! What’s next? Maybe BHO will get the Nobel speech prize for his ability to speak without a teleprompter!! Insane, insane, insane!!

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